There is something of an injury crisis brewing at Barcelona and Xavi will be concerned about who he has available for the trip to Villarreal this Sunday.
Three important players are unavailable for selection in what is a very tough fixture in the south east of Spain while a significant suspension also needs to navigated.
For this reason, there is a huge amount of intrigue over which players Xavi will choose on Sunday afternoon to take on Villarreal, with Barcelona seeking to ensure Real Madrid do not race away in the early stages of the season.
Here is the team Xavi could put his trust in against Villarreal.
GK: Marc-Andre ter Stegen – One of maybe two incredibly safe spots in the team, the German goalkeeper is yet to concede this season and has just signed a new contract at Camp Nou.
RB: Jules Kounde – While there is something of a crisis at centre-back right now, Kounde is expected to remain at right-back rather than move into the centre. Had the Joao Cancelo deal gone ahead as planned, that may not have been the case.
CB: Andreas Christensen – The Danish centre-back is a regular starter at Barcelona and that won’t change with Ronald Araujo and Inigo Martinez both out injured.
CB: Eric Garcia – Xavi surprised everyone by using Frenkie de Jong as a centre-back against Cadiz but, facing a better team like Villarreal, he will surely bring Garcia into the backline.
LB: Alejandro Balde – Now a mainstay at left-back, Balde is expected to keep his place with Marcos Alonso not even registered to play in the league yet.
CM: Ilkay Gundogan – He has already impressed early on at Barcelona and will be one of the names Xavi will rely on heavily throughout the season.
CM: Oriel Romeu – This could go down as a very smart deal given Barcelona needed a player of Romeu’s nature and he has returned to familiar surroundings very well.
CM: Gavi – It could be Frenkie de Jong who misses out on Sunday if Xavi aims for a bit more bite in his midfield and that would see Gavi keep his place from the Cadiz game.
RW: Ferran Torres – Pedri played on a wing during that Cadiz fixture but with him out, there could be a chance for Torres to show what he can do.
ST: Robert Lewandowski – Lewandowski is undroppable for Barcelona and will lead the line again as he searches for his first La Liga goal of the season.
LW: Ansu Fati – Another player who could benefit possibly from injuries elsewhere, it will be a fight between Fati and Lamine Yamal for this position in the Barcelona XI against Villarreal on Sunday.
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